Five standout Oklahoma football bowl wins not for a national title
By Chip Rouse
No. 2 — 1968 Orange Bowl: Oklahoma 26, Tennessee 24
In the 1967 season, Oklahoma won its first Big Eight championship since the 1961 season, going a perfect 7-0 in conference play. That team included Steve Owens, who would win the Heisman Trophy two seasons later, tight end/linebacker Steve Zabel, wingback Eddie Hinton and quarterback Bobby Warmack. The Sooners also had an outstanding defense, led by nose guard Granville Liggins, to complement an offense that could play with anybody.
Both OU and Tennessee came into the 1968 Orange Bowl with identical 9-1 records. The Volunteers were ranked No. 2 in the Associated Press poll, and the Sooners were right behind at No, 3 in Chuck Fairbanks first season as head coach. Fairbanks was elevated to the top job following the sudden death of Jim Mackenzie, who suffered a fatal heart attack in April that year.
Tennessee was a slight favorite entering the game and probably the better team on paper. But the Sooners were undaunted, jumping on the Volunteers in the first two quarters and taking a surprising 19-0 advantage into halftime.
Warmack completed nine of 13 passes for 107 yards in the Sooners’ first-half onslaught, but he would not complete another pass the remainder of the game as Tennessee came roaring back in the second half.
The Volunteers scored 14 unanswered points in the third quarter and opened the fourth quarter with a 26-yard field goal to pull within two points at 19-17.
OU defensive back Bobby Stephenson intercepted a Tennessee pass and returned it 25 yards for a touchdown to stretch the Sooner lead to 26-17 with 9:35 left to go in the game. Tennessee then responded with a 77-yard touchdown drive to close the margin back to two points, 26-24.
Late in the fourth quarter with Oklahoma facing 4th down and a foot to go at the OU 44-yard line and under two minutes remaining, Fairbanks elected to go for it. The decision turned potentially disastrous as Steve Owens was stopped dead in his tracks and Oklahoma was forced to turn the ball over on downs.
Much later, in a 2014 interview with sports columnist Berry Tramel of The Oklahoman, Warmack said, “I don’t think Steve has lost a yard on any carry the entire year.”
Tennessee reached the Sooners 26-yard line after taking over possession with a short field. With seven seconds remaining in the game, the Volunteers’ field goal attempt missed wide right, and the Sooners had escaped with the narrow victory.
Oklahoma finished the season with a 10-1 record and a No. 3 ranking nationally, and outstanding debut season for new head coach Fairbanks.